


And Don't Walk Away

by orphan_account



Category: Bones (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-01
Updated: 2017-04-01
Packaged: 2018-10-13 11:50:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10513194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Zack is ashamed.He is wrong.





	

**Author's Note:**

> set in s13 but zack has floppy hair

“I have a question.”

“Yes?”

“Why don’t you ever take off your gloves?” It was the wrong question. Zack was quiet, drew himself in, built up those walls that only two people knew how to break. He rolled over in bed.

“Hey. Hey, Zack.” Hodgins wrapped an arm around him, spooning him despite the fact that Zack was a good five inches taller. He pressed his forehead to the back of his neck. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

A beat.

“There are scars, Jack.” _Woah, Jack._ “So many scars. Horrible horrible scars. No one should see them.” His voice broke, and Hodgins felt that the explosion blew up his heart too, not just Zack’s hands.

“Hey.” He reached for Zack’s gloved hands, but he pulled back. _Oh, this is bad. This is worse than bad._ “Hey,” he repeated. He knew that Zack was insecure, but not like that. He was too smart and pretty and funny to hate himself. “Hey.” He cleared his throat.

“Sweets had scars too.” He could hear Zack’s sharp take of breath, his surprise at Hodgins bringing up their dead love.

He rolled to face Hodgins. Tears stained his cheeks, and Hodgins had never wished to be in Sweets’ place more in his entire life. Hodgins brushed a tear away, and Zack leaned into his touch. _Good._

“He had scars on his back,” Hodgins continued. “He was never ashamed.”

“He never showed them to me.”

“That’s because you were in prison when he was still alive, and he would’ve lost his job if he had sex with you.” Hodgins almost smiled. God, he missed Sweets so much. “He was never ashamed.”

“But I am.”

Hodgins looked at him, looked at the sadness in his soft eyes. He would’ve given away everything if it meant that his sadness was gone. “Hey,” he said. Quieter.

He reached down to hold Zack’s hand again. This time, Zack didn’t flinch. He let Hodgins pull his hand in between their chest, let Hodgins play with his gloved hands.

“I know you miss him too.” Zack was confused by his words. “Sweets, I mean.”

“You can’t possibly read my mi-”

“I can see it in your eyes. Everytime we make love, I can see that you wish Sweets was here. Everytime we watch a movie like Avatar or Firefly or something, I can see that you wish he was laying on the couch with us.” Zack pressed his lips together.

“Yes. I miss him. More than I can imagine.”

Hodgins continued to fiddle with his gloves. The air grew heavy. He reached one of his fingers under the gloves, and Zack was right. The scars felt bad. But that didn’t mean he had to be ashamed.

“Show me your scars?” Zack hesitated. Nodded, but with tears threatening to fall down his cheeks.

Hodgins pressed a kiss to his hand. And pulled off the glove. He looked. And looked, and looked, and looked. His hand was a maze of scars, of his skin trying to repair the damage of the horrible explosion, of the patterns and the angry red lines across his palms. He heard the covers shift, from Zack turning his head away.

“Is it ugly? Do you hate me?”

He laced his fingers with Zack. Brought their hands to his lips. Kissed him. “I don’t think I’m capable of that.”

**Author's Note:**

> sorry lol


End file.
